Hope
by Mable
Summary: It's the closest thing to speaking to the Scientist himself, but 9 never anticipated what mourning would be like when venting to an image of the past... Until the Scientist speaks back.


_**Hope**_

* * *

 _Denial._

It was the first time he had returned since he came for the message the first time. The morning light poured in through the window as Nine tentatively crossed the wooden floor. The rain was starting to finally wane after hours of coming down, but he could still hear the tapping of raindrops on the roof of the barely standing Workshop. With a weary sigh, he crossed to the projection box.

This was a foolish sort of thing, but Nine had wondered if the Scientist's soul was still out there. Maybe he was watching them from above and perhaps if Nine spoke then his creator would hear. It had all been in theory, but the night before had been enough that he needed to vent, and he wouldn't dare do it to Three, Four, or Seven. Someone who might hear but couldn't speak would be the best option.

Nine found what looked to be a crank hidden on the box and after winding it, just like a music box, he opened the lid and watched as the message replayed itself. It felt so odd doing this, but he took a deep breath and decided to throw any pride to the wind as the face of his creator appeared.

" _Greetings, Nine,"_ he began to recite, an image staring down at him. Nine decided to pretend it was the real thing as he gained an awkward smile.

"Hello, Scientist," Nine started to reply. "I… Came to talk with you. I know this is weird, and I don't know if this'll reach you…"

The Scientist's reflection continued, _"It had such promise, my great Machine."_

Nine gave a forced chuckle, "I guess we all did, but we stopped it."

" _It was meant to be an instrument of progress, of creation, that was the agreement our Chancellor failed to honor."_

Nine broke in, "Don't blame yourself for that. That past is behind us both now."

The Scientist's hologram continued, _"Though the fault is hardly his alone to bear."_

"The Machine hasn't moved since using the Talisman as you said," Nine explained.

" _The Machine was born purely of my intellect, which I now know was not enough…"_ This time, Nine stayed silent, just listening to the recording. _"My creation was hopelessly flawed and indeed dangerous, for it lacked a human soul-."_

"And I was thinking about souls. We… We recently lost some of us, but you probably know that," the Stitchpunk began. "So, I was thinking that maybe their souls would return to their bodies once they heal? I think I might run that by Seven. We should at least bring them back to the Library.

" _-And could be easily corrupted by those who controlled it."_

"Thank goodness we stopped it when we did! I mean… I wish we could've done it sooner, but now we can start fixing the world," Nine suggested.

" _That is why I am making each of you,"_ the Scientist revealed. _"You are all that's left of humanity."_

"This is our world… We're going to protect it," Nine swore. "We're not going to hide in fear or fight, or lie and trick. We're changing everything now."

" _You are all the pieces of my soul. Together, you and this device shall protect the future. Look closely and remember what you see."_

"It's okay… Father… I remember," Nine assured. "A-And the Talisman is safely put away, in case we ever need it. In case the others do come back and they need help going into their bodies." The image of the Scientist rubbing his face caused Nine to chuckle. "Don't give me that look! It could happen!" It was then that the recording cut off. "So, uh… Glad we got to talk!"

That all felt terribly awkward, but Nine would admit that it felt good to talk with someone. The twins were too young and Seven didn't handle stress well, so he had been keeping his opinions silent. It was in these moments that he missed Five even more, but he tried not to think about him too much, less he get upset.

"I guess this is goodbye…" Nine remarked as he shut the lid once more. "It's going to be okay, Father. It's finally over."

* * *

 _Anger._

His pulse was pounding as he hurried up the stairs. He could already feel a headache coming on and rubbed over the fabric of his brow with a frustrated sigh. Of course, he would have pain when they didn't have a healer or anything compared to it. He himself knew very little about Stitchpunk anatomy, the twins were pretty much only book smart, and Seven wasn't reliable. Or at least, this is how Nine was beginning to feel.

Nine sent a weary glance over the workshop. Back here again, he thought. He couldn't believe that he would be willing to return to this place. If anything, it only looked to be in worse condition than before, but that could've gone for the Library as well. He hustled over to the projection box and wound it as quickly as he could, needing to release this steam.

" _Greetings, Nine,"_ the Scientist welcomed as his hologram appeared once more.

"Hello, Father. It's me again," Nine began. He kept his eyes on the ground.

The Scientist's image spoke, _"It had such promise, my great Machine."_

"I suppose a lot of us had promise, didn't we?" Nine almost challenged back.

" _It was meant to be an instrument of progress, of creation, that was the agreement our Chancellor failed to honor… Though the fault is hardly his alone to bear."_

"But it's not his fault, is it?" Nine inquired back. "It's the Machine's fault. It's your fault. It's my fault. Not the Chancellor's fault. Oh no, he's just a victim. An innocent." His hands tightened as his words blended into the Scientist's own.

" _The Machine was born purely of my intellect, which I now know was not enough…"_ Nine said nothing, but that pent up frustration was beginning to reach a breaking point, and he attempted to silently will it back down. This was the reason he came here, to let it out, but he still felt restrained. _"My creation was hopelessly flawed and indeed dangerous, for it lacked a human soul and could be easily corrupted by those who controlled it."_

"Because a human soul makes it better, right?" Nine again replied, almost with dry sarcasm. "Humans had human souls and I've seen the newspapers; they weren't perfect either. They were just as awful."

" _That is why I am making each of you. You are all that's left of humanity."_

"I'm starting to think One was right about us just being here to fix your mistakes. That I was just created to make you feel better at whatever cost," Nine spat back. "At _any_ cost. The world means more than our lives."

" _You are all the pieces of my soul. Together, you and this device shall protect the future."_ It was at that moment that Nine snapped. Like an over-pressurized pipe breaking in two and spilling steam, Nine let himself go.

"What future?! There is no future!" Nine cried out as he splayed his arms. "There's only four of us in a dead, empty world! What was even the point of waking the Machine to destroy it?! Just so we could _feel_ better?! There's never going to be more of us, so we didn't have to worry about them waking it up like I did!" He glared at the face of his creator, rubbing his own face. "Why couldn't you have just created us to live without giving me all of this?! Why did you have to make me like this?!" He was nearly panting as the Scientist disappeared, yet he continued.

"We can't handle living in this world alone! The twins don't leave their books, Seven is never at the Library, and I'm expected to play leader, and _medic_ , and _guard_ , and replace everyone else _on my own_ when I'm not even capable of being myself without totally falling apart at the seams!" Nine blurted out as he turned away to glare down at some of the blueprints on the ground. He saw one that looked like him. Tightening his fists, he stormed closer to the blueprint. "And you expect me to exist just to keep the humans' memory alive?!"

He knelt, grabbed the edge of the paper, and started to tear down towards the Stitchpunk's body.

"Why would I keep them alive if I can't even keep us alive?!" Nine snapped as he went to yank his arm back. He stopped just before the tear could slice through the Stitchpunk on the paper, because only then did he notice something he hadn't before. As much as the illustration looked like him, there were buttons on it instead of a zipper. It wasn't Nine drawn on the paper, but Five, and that stopped him in his tracks.

Nine fell silent for a few moments. Then, without a word, he stood again and crossed over to slam the box's lid shut. Without another word, Nine tore out of the workshop once more.

* * *

 _Bargaining._

It wasn't like last time. Nine rushed into the workshop with excitement instead of anger. It had come to him while he was sleeping, appeared to him in a dream, a possible answer to all their problems. He sent a glance over the workshop to make sure it was empty, as it usually was, and then hurried to wind the projection box once more.

The ideas were all laid out in his mind and he wondered if this was how Six used to feel. All these thoughts and all this potential, but this time Nine would make sure that they came to fruition, and his excitement was well placed. He could barely contain his excitement as the Scientist's face appeared before him once more.

" _Greetings, Nine,"_ the Scientist began. Nine nearly cut him off.

"Hello, Father. I know I acted out of line last time, but I had to come back," Nine explained. "I had an amazing idea."

The Scientist's continued, _"It had such promise, my great Machine."_

"This has promise too, hear me out," the Stitchpunk remarked. He began to pace in front of the box as he gathered his thoughts together. "It involves the rain that followed the others' release."

" _It was meant to be an instrument of progress, of creation, that was the agreement our Chancellor failed to honor. Though the fault is hardly his alone to bear."_

"Now, we were created with your soul. It was transported into our bodies, but their souls went into the sky and then it started to rain. So maybe, just maybe, their souls can travel through the rain, and if that's the case then maybe they haven't moved on like we thought," Nine continued to ramble. He folded his arms behind him as he paced. "Maybe they're still circulating in the water."

" _The Machine was born purely of my intellect, which I now know was not enough… My creation was hopelessly flawed and indeed dangerous, for it lacked a human soul-."_

"And that's another thing!" Nine exclaimed as he turned back to the Scientist's shadow. "The souls we were made with had to be put inside and removed with the Talisman, so maybe I just released them wrong!"

" _-And could be easily corrupted by those who controlled it."_

"Then I could use the talisman to collect their souls again, maybe when it rains, and put them back in their bodies," Nine finished with a brilliant smile. "We could bring everyone back! We wouldn't be alone again!"

" _That is why I am making each of you. You are all that's left of humanity._ _You are all the pieces of my soul."_

"Then we can't risk dying, and we need the others back," Nine affirmed. He brought his fist down into his other hand as he stared on with determination. "You wouldn't have created us without a way to reclaim our bodies. I know you're hiding secrets still, Father, and I'm going to find them! I'm going to bring them back!" He smiled at the Scientist's face as he bubbled in eagerness. "I know what I need to do!"

" _Together, you and this device shall protect the future. Look closely and remember what you see."_

"Yes, the Talisman! I must use the Talisman!" Nine assured as he unzipped himself. He was carrying it inside of him, having brought it from the Library, and peered down at it with an eager elation. "I'm going to find a way to fix all of this, and then we can rebuild everything once again. It's only a matter of time until I figure this all out."

He closed the box before the hologram ended, with the Scientist still covering his face. "Don't worry, Father. I'm going to fix my mistakes," Nine assured. Then, with silent determination, he hurried out.

* * *

 _Depression._

It was already dark when Nine arrived inside of the workshop. With him he carried a small box of matches that he was using to light his way. He knew there could've been something he could make that wouldn't waste their supplies, but he needed to come here now, and so he truly didn't find himself caring much at all. Holding the match above him, Nine made his way to the box and wound it without a word.

" _Greetings, Nine."_

"It didn't work," Nine announced without an introduction. "Nothing worked. Nothing even came close."

" _It had such promise, my great Machine."_

Nine sat down with his back against the box. He waved out the match and allowed the dim light of the projection to illuminate the room alone. Dropping the used match beside him and his arms onto his bent legs, Nine stared vacantly at the wooden flooring between his feet. It was a devastating thing to admit and saying it out loud didn't relieve any of the pain.

" _It was meant to be an instrument of progress, of creation, that was the agreement our Chancellor failed to honor. Though the fault is hardly his alone to bear."_

"I thought it would work. I really just thought that there was a way…" He dropped his head onto his arms. "How could I let this happen? How could I… How could I let them go?" His voice cracked lightly, "Why didn't I make Five stay? He would've stayed. I could've put his soul into the Talisman and fixed his body, but I let him go… I let them all go…" He choked again, "It wasn't worth it."

" _The Machine was born purely of my intellect, which I now know was not enough… My creation was hopelessly flawed and indeed dangerous, for it lacked a human soul and could be easily corrupted by those who controlled it."_

"I did it. All of it. It wasn't the Machine, it was me," Nine confessed. "I put the Talisman in. I let Two get too close. I let Eight get taken. I let Six go on the bridge. I didn't stop One. I… I should've kept by Five… He always stood by my side, and when he needed me I was too distracted with myself." He covered his face with one hand and tried to suppress a dry sob. "Oh Five, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it." He didn't even know what he was denying any longer. "I didn't mean it, I swear. I loved him."

" _That is why I am making each of you. You are all that's left of humanity._ _You are all the pieces of my soul."_

"They're all gone," Nine revealed. "I tried, and I tried, but they're silent. I- I beg for them to say something! To come back! I stood in the rain for hours, but nothing! They're gone!" He was becoming hysterical as he slammed his fists onto the floor beside him. "I don't understand! Why couldn't they come back?! Why can't they just come back?! It's not fair!"

" _Together, you and this device shall protect the future."_

At that sentence, Nine fully broke down into fit of sobbing. He ignored trying to rationalize any of it and didn't care if there was anything left to hear him. All his emotions poured out and he was hollow to the core. He had never felt so trapped and alone.

" _Look closely and remember what you see."_

He only wished that he could forget, but Nine would never not see his last moments with Five. Whether it be the Machine snatching him into his grasp or his soul drifting away from his grasp, Nine would never forget those last moments and yet couldn't remember the smaller things. They were engulfed in the despair of what came after them. He just wished that he had stayed by Five's side instead of letting him get away.

As the projection ended, Nine was left in the dark. He made no rush to light a new match and instead allowed himself to full fall apart in the darkness. Nobody would be there to comfort him anymore.

* * *

 _Acceptance._

It was late morning. A comfortable day, overcast, generally mild, and decent weather for the walk to the workshop. Nine hadn't told the twins or Seven where he was going, but he didn't intend to be gone long enough for them to start questioning. He wandered into the workshop and looked around wearily at it. He couldn't remember how many times he had been here; perhaps six or seven.

Nothing changed in between visits. The workshop was almost frozen in time and had refused to show its age since he had first awoken there. Nine partially acknowledged this as he approached the projection box, which he had apparently left open during his last visit. His tiredness was no doubt obvious on his face, not that anyone was there to see it, but he had to do this.

He wound the box before stepping back and watching his father's face appear once more. Perhaps for the last time if this went as he anticipated it to.

" _Greetings, Nine,"_ the Scientist said as he did.

"Hello, Father," Nine began. "I've been meaning to come back after last time."

" _It had such promise, my great Machine."_

"The Machine's still not moving. Everyone's still fine. Life is going on okay," Nine listed quickly. "I think… I think I'm finally doing better. At least I felt like I could come here."

" _It was meant to be an instrument of progress, of creation, that was the agreement our Chancellor failed to honor."_

"I still think about them almost every minute of every day… Especially Five… And it still hurts more than I could've ever imagined, but it's a little easier dealing with it. Or I think it is, maybe."

" _Though the fault is hardly his alone to bear."_

"That too. I… Whether I like it or not, I caused this… But I can't keep wallowing in it. The others are just going to suffer from it," the zippered male decided. "I have to be leader now, so I have to stop losing myself to this. To make up for what I've done." As determined as he said it, he couldn't help but feel like he was giving up. A part of him did feel like he was just saying it to say it, but he forced himself to do so. "So, after today… I'm going to be better.

" _The Machine was born purely of my intellect, which I now know was not enough… My creation was hopelessly flawed and indeed dangerous, for it lacked a human soul_ a _nd could be easily corrupted by those who controlled it."_

"…Who am I kidding?" Nine suddenly vented as he rubbed over his face. "I'm no better a leader now then I was before. I don't know what I'm doing… But…" He slowly uncovered his face as he continued staring at the floor beneath him. "But things won't change unless I change them… I think I can do that much."

" _That is why I am making each of you. You are all that's left of humanity._ _You are all the pieces of my soul."_

"I have to move on for the others' sake, even if it hurts," Nine quietly admitted as he looked upwards at the Scientist. "…I hope you'd be proud of that."

" _Together, you and this device shall protect the future. Look closely and remember what you see."_

"I will remember," Nine assured, "and I won't make the same mistakes twice. I think I'll finally learn this time…" A heavy weight started to raise off his shoulders as his smile became more natural. "I love you, Father, and even though I never met you, I miss you."

He watched as the Scientist disappeared and looked down at the projector box and the fuzzy glow of light still coming from it. It was going to be rough from now on, but the zippered male was going to push onwards. He had to. Maybe they had lost the others, but there were still some of them left, and Nine had to press on.

Once he was finished here, he would return to his three companions as a new Stitchpunk. He would hug the twins close and assure Seven that it was going to get better, and truly mean it this time. After all the pain, maybe they could finally press on. Maybe he could start to build and create. Maybe wherever Five and Two were, they could see his work and be proud that he was continuing what they started.

First thing he would do is to rebuild their graves. He would build ones that would stay through the weather, and then he would have a place to go and talk where they may hear him. As soon as the box shut off.

…Yet strangely enough, the box didn't shut off.

Usually the light would die, and he would shut the lid, but now it just lulled with a dull static. He waited patiently and dreaded the thought that it was beginning to break. With a tired sigh Nine reached for the lid, but then hesitated. The crackling noise was peculiar, like it was playing through a faulty recording, and he leaned forward to look down into the box.

Something seemed different about the box, but Nine wasn't sure what inside had been changed. If anything had changed, he couldn't remember what it was. Then the box released a mechanical wheeze. Nine furrowed his brows when something suddenly changed. After all these visits, something had finally happened.

" _The light… has faintly flickered on again beneath the ashes."_

"What?" Nine blinked at the voice. It was clearly the Scientist, but he never remembered this part of the recording. As unbelievable as it was, after all these times speaking to the Scientist, he had finally spoken back. "No, wait, what is this?" Nine continued, totally taken aback.

" _And I have begun the long-awaited search for hope..."_

"Father?!" Nine blurted out. It could've been an old message that had never activated before, but something seemed different. The Scientist's voice sounded strange, but it was clearly him. There was suddenly a new addition to the recording after such a long period of silence. It didn't make any sense, but Nine clung to it.

For the first time he visited, Nine felt that exhilaration return. That meager belief that maybe he still had a chance to fix everything and that feeling of being alive. For the first time since they moved on, Nine was alive again.

For the Scientist uttered something that had changed everything.

" _I must find 9."_

* * *

 _Hope._


End file.
